Diablo II was released on June 29, 2000, and has since established itself as the epitome of dungeon looting and hellish monster encounters. Released a decade ago and it's still running strong as we wait with baited breathes and in utter anticipation for the release of Diablo III. I for one can't wait to delve in to a new dungeon as a Wizard with friends here at CC.

Though while we're forced to wait, lets take a moment to reflect on a decade of Diablo II and share some of our fondest memories here.

Best writing? There was very little writing to go by. Out of their three universes, Diablo is the most reserved. Almost all the lore is spent on the bosses you fight throughout, which are usually one-time deals that aren't to be heard from again. The series also, IMO, has a lacking roster of identifiable characters; those being Diablo (with his two brothers in D2), Deckard Cain, and Tyrael. I'm simply speaking in my own opinion, but I think Diablo is a gem of gameplay (and art, but they are all unique styles). If I want story, I go to StarCraft.

"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will."-George Bernard Shaw

IskatuMesk wrote:That's exactly why Diablo is the best - they haven't destroyed it yet. It has enough mystery for character-driven expansion but Metzen hasn't gotten his grubby hands on green-colored everything yet.

I suppose that is true. And Diablo 3 will certainly tell a lot of story for those characters. But there were a lot of NPCs that seemed to have interesting histories that I would love to know more about. Ormus and Natalya in Act III, specifically, were the ones I wanted to know more about. Fara in Act II would have been cool to see as well, since Deckard Cain seemed suspicious of her. I like mystery, but not when it never gets revealed. It's like at the end of Total Recall with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Was the whole movie real? Or did he dream it? Stories with things left up to the viewer's imagination feel incomplete to me.

"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will."-George Bernard Shaw

IskatuMesk wrote:That's exactly why Diablo is the best - they haven't destroyed it yet. It has enough mystery for character-driven expansion but Metzen hasn't gotten his grubby hands on green-colored everything yet.

I suppose that is true. And Diablo 3 will certainly tell a lot of story for those characters. But there were a lot of NPCs that seemed to have interesting histories that I would love to know more about. Ormus and Natalya in Act III, specifically, were the ones I wanted to know more about. Fara in Act II would have been cool to see as well, since Deckard Cain seemed suspicious of her. I like mystery, but not when it never gets revealed. It's like at the end of Total Recall with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Was the whole movie real? Or did he dream it? Stories with things left up to the viewer's imagination feel incomplete to me.

Or you can appreciate them a work of art. It doesn't have to make sense or have every mystery explained. You don't need to know why, you should be happy that it simply is.

I prefer to look at every sequel as a standalone work of art. The first game is a complete experience. The second should feel the same, the reason most sequels suck is because they lack the substance of the original. D2 avoided this pitfall magnificently, so did WC2. WC3 also did well, if you look at it as standalone. WoW is a different creature, as a standalone work, its great for those who like the genre.

Starcraft 1 had so much substance throughout, SC2 has a lot of work to do to NOT feel empty. It doesn't have to be better than. its already hard enough being as good. Thats the only mark it needs to hit. Everything else is gravy.

As for total recall, that was on purpose. The whole point is to make YOU think. Not every movie is for a potato.

Come to think of it, I guess that is a good point as well. Reading that made me compare games like Half-Life 2 and Modern Warfare in terms of story. One of the reasons why Half-Life 2 is so much better is because there are unknowns and little nuances that give the game character, yet aren't fully explained. Modern Wardare is straightforward and to the point all the time, thus making it a characterless, awful story. But I digress. I got caught up in the NPCs of Diablo that I kinda side-tracked from plot. The story of the Diablo Universe itself is good, but I just find the characters to lack depth often. Tyrael is the most complex of any character so far. Everyone else seems so straight forward and often 2D. Everyone's motives are laid out in front of you at every turn. All the people that give you quests just want to protect their people and Diablo and his browski just want control and power. No complex hidden agendas, no real plans for anything after you run their errand for them. "You killed the Countess? Oh good! So now that she's out of the way, we'll leave her castle alone and you can go kill somebody else on my list of villains." The concept of a war between Heaven and Hell with the living caught in between is a great premise and has such potential and an already great atmosphere, but the writing itself seems lacking in true, complex motive.

Now that I think about it, having the ending of Total Recall be "Oh it was all just a dream. None of it ever happened," would be pretty lame..... I dunno. I just don't like ambiguity at the end of my stories.

"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will."-George Bernard Shaw

I think a part of the problem with d2's characters laid in their extremely limited quest system. As it is so deeply hardcoded into the game they couldn't have changed it further down the line even if they wanted to. It's one of the most desired things d2 modders want to change, but you literally need to rebuild huge chunks of the game to even get access to it. I Imagine Blizzard at some point wanted to develop the characters more but by then it was too late. In that sense I agree - I'd like to have seen more out of the individual characters.